Misunderstanding
by DiNo22
Summary: Just when things are looking good for Evan and Paige, Hank sees Paige with her ex, Graham.  Should he tell Evan? How will Evan take the news if he does?  Set in season 2 but no real spoilers.  Mostly brotherly love, a little bit of romance.
1. Graham Sighting

_This takes place sometime in Season 2. I don't think there any spoilers though. The usual disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own anything Royal Pains and kudos just goes to all its amazing producers and writers._

**Chapter 1**

Evan R. Lawson, CFO of HankMed was in a happy mood. He was whistling a catchy tune as he bustled in the kitchen.

"You're in a cheerful mood this morning." Dr. Hank Lawson entered the kitchen.

"Yup…Paige is finally back from her trip to Colorado and she said she'd come over for dinner tonight…so I am going to make her some of my special lasagna and maybe even bake a pie." Evan declared.

Hank sat down at the counter with a cup of coffee. "So this thing with Paige…it's going good?"

"Well, we've been out a couple of times and she seems happy to be with me." Evan said. "I've really missed her this past week while she was in Colorado…but she sent text messages everyday…and she said she missed me too."

Hank had never seen his brother like this. He had liked girls before, but now he seemed like a lovestruck teenager with that twinkle in his eyes all the time and the lilt in his voice when he mentioned Paige's name.

"Good…I'm happy for you kid."

Just then, Divya walked in.

"Who's happy?" she asked, sounding kind of bored.

"Evan is!" Evan sang, taking Divya's hands, trying to spin her around. "Evan is in love."

Divya tried to release herself from the young man and sat next to Hank who handed her a cup of coffee.

"Hank, don't forget, we are having lunch with Jill at that new Italian place in town. She's been wanting to try out their lasagna. Apparently, it's to die for." Divya reminded Hank.

"Oh yeah. Hey Ev, you want to join us for lunch?"

Evan rolled his eyes and said, "Henry…didn't I just say I was making lasagna for Paige for dinner?"

"They DO have other dishes there you know." Hank countered. "C'mon, the four of us haven't been out to lunch in awhile."

"Next time Henry, next time. I promise." Evan said, patting his brother on the back.

xxxx

Jill sat back on her chair and sighed. "That was some good lasagna. I don't think I even have room for dessert."

Hank put down his fork. "I have to admit, that WAS good. Evan would have liked it. Of course he'll say his is better but this WAS pretty good."

After they paid the bill, they all got up and started for the door. Divya suddenly put her hand on Hank's elbow, pulling him back a little.

Hank looked at her, a little puzzled. He looked to where she was staring.

At a table near the fountain was Paige Collins with her supposed ex-boyfriend, Graham Barnes. Paige was pointing her fork at Graham and giggling about something.

Hank took a step towards their table when Divya pulled on him a little. He held up his hand, as if to say he had things in control and strolled over to them.

"Well hello Paige." He noticed that Paige had a plate of lasagna in front of her.

Paige looked up with a bright smile. "Oh, hi Hank!"

"Graham, you remember Dr. Lawson?"

Graham stood up and shook Hank's hand. "Of course, I remember Hank. He practically saved my life!"

"I thought you were I Egypt?" Hank said.

"Yes, yes, I was. I had to come back home to take care of something in New York so I decided to drive up to see my darling here."

Paige giggled. "He's lucky he caught me. I just got back from Colorado last night."

"Yeah, I heard. Evan told me." Hank said. "Speaking of Evan…"

"Oh yeah," Paige interrupted. "Can you tell him that I might not make dinner tonight…on second thought, never mind. I'll text him myself."

Hank was getting annoyed. What was this girl doing? She was going to TEXT him? What about a phone call? He was about to say something when Divya cut in.

"Let's go Hank. We got a call from Tucker." Hank looked at Divya. He hadn't heard the phone ring, but Divya's expression made him say, "Oh, we have to go. Graham, it was nice meeting you again. I hope all is well with your eye."

Then he nodded to Paige who looked a little confused at Hank's somewhat irate expression.

As they walked away, he heard her giggle again.

Walking to the car, Hank could not hide his anger.

"What IS she doing? I thought she and Evan had something going already?"

Divya and Jill tried to calm him down.

"They were just having lunch, Hank, and from the sound of it, it doesn't seem that he's staying for long." Jill said calmly.

Hank shook his head. "The last time, she was planning on going with him to Egypt. What if she leaves when he leaves? What happens to my brother then?"

"Evan is a big boy Hank. He can deal with this." Divya said, getting out her keys.

Hank sighed, said bye to Jill and got into Divya's car.

The PA noticed the tension in Hank. "Hank, you look…worried."

Hank turned abruptly to face Divya. "I AM worried Div. I have never seen Evan so happy. I'm not even sure he's ever been in love before. And now…."

Divya pursed her lips. She didn't know what to say to appease Hank. "Are you going to tell Evan?"

Hank shook his head, "I don't know Div. I just don't know."

As they pulled into Shadow Pond, Hank asked about Tucker's phone call and Divya admitted that she was just trying to get Hank out of an uncomfortable situation.

When the two entered the guest house, Evan was putting the finishing touches on his pie.

"Mmmm, what smells so good?" Divya asked.

"That, my dear Divya, is my very special lasagna." Evan said excitedly.

Hank and Divya glanced at each other, solemn looks on their faces.

"What?" Evan noticed the tension. "What's that look?"

"What look?" Divya said casually. "We're just full from lunch."

The two sat down at the table and took out their laptops, forcing themselves to work.

Evan frowned at them suspiciously as he put his pie in the oven.

"Actually Ev, we ran into Paige at the restaurant earlier." Hank finally said, shrugging his shoulders at the glaring Divya.

Evan was busy washing his hands as he said, "You did? Did you say hi?"

"I did," then Hank hesitated. "She was with Graham."

Evan abruptly stopped what he was doing.

"Oh," he said. Then he slowly wiped his hands on a towel and tinkered around in the kitchen.

Hank and Divya sighed and shook their heads. Evan had his back to them as he moved around the kitchen, wiping the sink, arranging the spices. He didn't say a thing.

"Ev?" Hank started. Evan continued to move about the kitchen, his back to them. He opened and shut the oven door twice.

Then he started rambling. "I can't wait 'til you taste the pie I baked. I put something extra and a couple o…."

"Evan?" Hank said again.

"Maybe I should go to the store to get some ice cream…ala mode, vanilla, you like vani…"

"Evan!" Hank raised his voice just a little.

Evan's head snapped up but his back was still to them. "What? What Henry?"

"Are you…ok?" Hank didn't quite know what to say. He sadly recalled the devastation his brother went through when their mother had died and their father had left.

Evan finally faced Hank. "I'm…fine…Henry."

Hank looked at Divya.

"Did…did…" Evan couldn't bring himself to continue.

Hank figured out what Evan might be asking so he said, "She asked me to tell you that she might not make dinner tonight, then changed her mind and said she'll just text you."

"Her last text was at 11:17….I told her I was making dinner." Evan said quietly.

He looked over to other side of the counter where his phone was. Then he went back to cleaning up the kitchen.

Finally, Evan took off his apron and grabbed his keys. Then he reconsidered and put them back on the counter.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced.

"Not a good idea, Ev." Hank said, but Evan was already out the door.

Divya looked sympathetically at Hank. "Should we follow?"

Hank contemplated but shook his head. He probably needs to be alone for now.


	2. Where is Evan?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Royal Pains but am amazed at the those who do._

**Chapter 2**

Evan R Lawson ran out of the house. He didn't bother to pick up his phone or his wallet or even his jacket. He just had to get out of there. He didn't want to think or feel. He ran as fast as he could and soon found himself outside the gates of Shadow Pond.

He huffed and puffed, stopping momentarily to catch his breath. However, he found that as soon as he stopped running, his mind was again filled with all sorts of thoughts, and his chest ached with feelings of sadness, jealousy and regret.

He didn't want that. He wanted to purge himself of all these negative thoughts and feelings. So he ran some more. Images of Forrest Gump crossed his face and he smirked, in spite of himself.

His legs, and his lungs, for that matter, finally gave up on him. He bent over, clutching his sides, panting like he'd never panted before. There were spots before his eyes and he fell to the ground. He was at the beach.

As his breathing slowed, all the negative vibes came back. He buried his head in his arms over his knees and just cried….sobbed…wept…blubbered.

xxxx

Meanwhile, at the guest house, Hank was getting worried. It had been almost three hours since Evan left. The timers for both the lasagna and the pie had rang and Divya had turned the oven off for both, taking the pie out to cool.

The aroma of the food reminded Hank of his brother and he wished that Evan would just return. "_I shouldn't have told him_," he thought to himself.

Divya noticed that her boss was restless and though she herself was uneasy also, she commented, "He'll be back any minute now, Hank."

Hank stood and went to the window.

"It's getting dark out," he observed. "Maybe I should call…"

Getting out his phone, he dialed Evan's number. No answer. He dialed again. This time, a light caught the corner of his eye. Evan's phone, obviously silenced, and not even on vibrate, was on the kitchen counter, next to his car keys and wallet.

Hank tensed. Evan had neither his phone nor his keys nor his wallet. He caught sight of his brother's jacket as well. His anxiety increased as he thought about Evan somewhere out there in the dark and soon-to-be cold. No car, no phone, no money. He hoped that the guy would have enough sense to get a cab and go home.

Divya picked up Evan's phone and turned on the volume. She noticed that he had several missed calls and text messages, all from Paige, besides the last two from Hank. Not wanting to invade Evan's privacy, she handed it to Hank who grimaced as he looked at it.

"11 texts and 17 missed calls," he muttered.

"2 calls are yours…" Divya commented.

Suddenly, they heard a car pull up to the driveway.

Hank's face lit up. His brother DID have the sense to hail a cab.

He and Divya rushed to the door, ready to pounce on the irresponsible man, yet knowing they would be content to just see that he was okay.

They both gaped when Hank opened the door.

"Paige?" Hank said in surprise, shock overcoming surprise when he noticed Graham right behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

Paige frowned first in confusion then smiled, "Evan invited me to dinner, remember? He said he was going to cook…mmm, smells good too."

Hank stood aside to let the two in, wonder still on his face.

"You…you said you might not make it…" Hank stuttered a bit.

"The key word being 'might'…" Paige looked around then turned to Hank.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to come because Graham was only staying for the day, but he postponed his trip to the city to tomorrow…where IS Evan?"

Hank, still a little bewildered, stated, "He's not here…wait…so you decide to just come and surprise him…with Graham.."

Paige puckered her brow at Hank and pursed her lips. "I tried to call several times, and sent him texts too…I WAS going to postpone the dinner but since he didn't answer, I thought we'd just come…I didn't want to keep him waiting…where IS he, Hank?"

Hank looked at Graham and said "Graham, make yourself at home, I need to talk to Paige…".

Hank led a puzzled Paige to the patio. It had gotten chilly and Paige started rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms. It reminded Hank that Evan was somewhere out there in the cold.

A little frustrated, Paige demanded, "What's going on Hank? Where is Evan? I am starting to worry!"

"What's going on?" Hank said, incredulously. "What's going on? I should be asking YOU that!"

Paige not only looked confused, she WAS confused.

"I…don't understand…"

"Paige…don't you know how my brother feels about you? He adores you!"

Paige's confused look turned into a smile. "I know that Hank…I adore him too," she sighed.

"Yeah, you make that sound like he's a little kid or a puppy…" Hank said.

"YOU were the one who used the word 'adore', Hank!" Paige shot back. "I would very much like an explanation as to why he isn't here when he promised me a home cooked meal!"

Hank didn't really know what to think of the situation. Paige seemed to care for his brother…but what about the Graham thing? The giggling and the flirting at the restaurant. And never mind the caring thing. There was a big difference between caring and loving and being IN love. He knew that Evan was in love with Paige, and he wasn't sure if that feeling was reciprocated.

"Can I ask you a question Paige?" Hank finally said. "What are you REALLY doing here?" "_Rubbing in your love for Graham at Evan's face?"_ he wanted to add.

Paige put her hands on Hanks arms and talked slowly, as if Hank was hard of hearing, or understanding, for that matter.

"I…told…you…I came because Evan promised me a home cooked meal."

"But you said you wouldn't make it."

Slowly again, Paige said, "I…said…MIGHT not make it. I couldn't get in touch with Evan, and I didn't want him to wait for nothing…which brings me to MY question…WHERE. IS. HE?".

Hank tried to absorb what Paige was saying and said, "Why'd you have to bring Graham?"

Paige was getting a little impatient. "Well, I didn't think Evan would mind…they know each other, after all. He's in the country on some personal business and decided to drive up to…"

"Visit MY DARLING…" Hank interrupted, mimicking Graham perfectly.

Paige rolled her eyes and shook her head. "What's all the fuss with Graham anyway?"

It was Hank's turn to roll his eyes. "Paige, you paid Evan to be your faux beau so you could go to Egypt with Graham. You totally loved him."

"The operative word being LOVED" Paige said. "LOVED, as in PAST tense."

"Listen Hank, I'm going to tell you something I hope you will never repeat to Evan."

Hank waited.

Paige sighed, looking like she didn't know where to start.

"My dad called me up about a week after my parents met Evan. He asked if I was still seeing that…" she paused and held her fingers as if to make quotation marks, "clumsy, weak, blah-blah…" she rolled her eyes, "CFO of HankMed."

She was frowning, then continued. "Then….he went on to say that he didn't think 'that boy' was Paige Collins material and that I should stop seeing him."

Paige looked at Hank apologetically. "What exactly IS Paige Collins material, Daddy? I asked him."

She shrugged her shoulders, "Well, he went on to tell me that he realized Evan was not Paige Collins material (quotation mark fingers were up again) after the shooting incident when we went hunting...AND that he had offered Evan, there and then, a sizeable sum of money to keep away from me."

Hank was starting to get annoyed. How dare that man?

"Anyway, I was mad, to say the least…and the funny thing is, I told him so." Paige carried on. "I had never stood up to my father like I did that day…I told him that he really had no business manipulating my love life like that and he could certainly not choose who I could or could not go out with."

Again, Paige paused. Hank was impatient.

She finally resumed, "Daddy said that before they left, he gave Evan an envelope with the promised cash."

Hank looked puzzled so Paige went on, "I was there Hank, I remember Daddy giving Evan the envelope and saying it was for medical expenses, you know, for his bullet wound…Evan didn't take the envelope…after the first payment, Evan did not accept more…"

"Yeah, I know," Hank muttered, then looked at Paige. "He felt really guilty about even accepting that first payment…said something about liking you, being happy to just help…anyway, he didn't spend a cent of it…he put it all into HankMed."

Then Hank realized something. "Wait, didn't you say something like needing your parents' permission if you wanted their money…?"

Paige sighed heavily. "Oh, that! Well, I figured I AM old enough to not need permission for anything,least of all who to love and that while I DO love their money…" she shrugged, "I…love…Evan more."

Before Hank could say anything, she continued, "Besides…Daddy was actually impressed when Even did not take the money, and although he still does not think very highly of Evan YET…Evan is great, Dad'll come around…Daddy is just happy that I…am…happy."

Paige looked like she had stars in her eyes, and Hank's heart was warmed by this lady his brother was in love with.

"Oh Evan," they both sighed.

"EVAN!" they both cried out, wide-eyed, realizing that they still did not know where Evan was.

xxx

_tbc_


	3. Evan Found

A/N – as mentioned earlier, this was set towards the end of mid-season, right after the Boris-Eddie fiasco. If I had watched the Season 2 finale before writing this, I might not even have written this…but I will finish it anyway. No spoilers I think.

**Chapter 3**

"_EVAN!" they both cried out, wide-eyed, realizing that they still did not know where Evan was._

Suddenly, Hank's phone rang. When he saw that it was Jill Casey, he held up a finger indicating he wanted to take the call.

Paige nodded as Hank flipped his phone.

"Jill?"

"_Hank! Thank God you're alright!" _said the voice on the phone.

"Huh?" Hank mumbled, confused.

"_The hospital called saying that paramedics brought in a hit-and-run victim who looked like you…no ID, no wallet, no nothing…"_

Hank's heart fell. "No keys, no jacket…"

"_Hank, what are you talking about?"_

"Evan…it must be Evan." Hank said softly as he rushed towards the door.

"Hank? Hank? HANK?" Paige ran after him.

"_Hank, don't panic…we're really not sure…"_ Jill said quickly.

"No time to explain Jill. I need to go there right away! It's got to be Evan…he's been missing for hours and his phone, car, wallet and jacket are all here…" Hank said as he got his own keys and jacket and hung up the phone.

"I'm coming with you." Paige said, as she gathered her purse. Divya and Graham also stood up with questioning looks in their eyes.

Hank stopped and looked at them.

"Jill called saying that a man who looked like me was brought to the ER, apparently the victim of a hit-and-run." He finally explained. "I'm sure it's Evan…I need to be there."

"I'm going too!" Divya declared.

Hank looked at all the expectant faces, including Graham. He exhaled heavily and said, "What if…it isn't Evan? What if he comes home and no one is here?"

"I'll stay," Graham offered, knowing that all the others were eager to see the CFO of HankMed. He looked at Paige and continued, "You can call me when you know for sure so I can follow. I am worried about him too."

Nodding and giving Graham a peck on the cheek, she whispered, "Thanks." And followed Hank and Divya outside.

The ride to Hamptons Heritage was quiet. Divya guessed that things were alright with Paige when Hank allowed her to go with them. She secretly hoped that it was because Hank had confirmed that there was nothing romantic going on with Graham. She, too, wanted Evan to be happy, even if she would never admit it to her oftentimes annoying co-worker.

They pulled up to the hospital lot at about the same time as Jill. She saw them and waved. As they all ran inside, she informed them that Dr. Blair had called her earlier but she was no longer able to reach Hank.

Hank felt for his phone and said, "I must have dropped it at the house when I was rushing to come here."

"Dr. Blair called to tell me that the victim had gained consciousness and identified himself as Evan R Lawson, CFO of HankMed. What was he doing out without a jacket and no ID Hank?" Jill panted as they walked into the ER.

"Long story, Jill. I'll tell you later. Right now, I just really need to see him."

They headed for the ER and were met by Dr. Blair and a man in white.

"Hello, Dr. Lawson. This is Dr. Sanjay. He was the one who worked on your brother when he was brought in."

Hank and Dr. Sanjay shook hands as Dr. Sanjay said, "Come, I'll fill you in on the way." They walked down the corridor.

"Your brother was apparently the victim of a hit-and-run. He was unconscious when he was brought in but he awakened long enough to talk to the police. He sustained cuts and bruises on his whole body, the most serious being three fractured ribs, one of which grazed his lungs but thankfully did not puncture it. His spleen may also have been affected but so far, no signs of a puncture. .."

Hank listened to the list of his brother's injuries, thankful that nothing seemed to be too serious.

"…that said, we'd like to keep him here a day or two just to make sure his injuries are really on the mend. Being a doctor yourself, I am sure he will be in great hands when we send him home. He'll be moved to a room in a few minutes. If you pass by the nurse's station, they can give you the details."

Hank took it all in, shook Dr. Sanjay's hand again and said, "I would like to see him before he is transferred though."

"Of course, right this way," the other doctor agreed as he opened the door the trauma room.

Hank drew a breath as he entered and first caught sight of his injured brother.

Evan's bare upper torso was bandaged up but hints of black and blue peeped through the edges. An intern was putting the finishing touches to his many sutured wounds while a nurse fixed the attached tubes and wires to prepare Evan for transport.

Hank was used to seeing patients in such a state but the sight of his baby brother like this just simply disheartened the young doctor. He approached Evan and ran his fingers through his curls.

"Oh Evan…", the young doctor whispered, and he just stood there while the nurses and aides worked around him.

"We're ready to move him now, doctor," one of the nurses informed him.

Hank nodded and without letting go of Evan's hand, they started moving.

Divya and Paige saw them approaching and immediately rushed to them.

Guessing that they were also there for Evan, one of the aides said that they were taking him to Room 217.

Once Evan was settled, Hank updated the women on his brother's injuries. He also reported that it was a hit-and-run with no witnesses. He was just thankful that someone found Evan and called 911.

It didn't look like Evan would wake up anytime soon so they all found chairs and their own spot in the room. Hank told Divya and Paige that they should go home and rest as Evan was probably down for the night.

Divya said that she wanted to stay but that she would go borrow a couple of magazines from Jill. Paige shook her head too and was determined to stay until Evan at least woke up.

"I called Graham earlier and he said he'd lock up the house and meet us here. I just texted him the room number," she informed the others.

She took her chair and sat on Evan's left side while Hank sat on his right.

"I'm sorry I made assumptions about you and Graham…" Hank said softly.

Paige smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "You were looking out for your brother. I appreciate that, although I wish you had just come out and ask me directly."

Hank looked at the sleeping man and smiled.

"You know, Evan has liked and dated a lot of women, but he has never…," Hank paused to think, "been this way…"

Paige gave Hank a questioning look.

"You know….he is happy to just make you happy….with all the others, he cared more about his own pleasure than the women's." Hank paused again, then added, "I screwed up big time, huh?"

"No Hank, I think we BOTH did…I should have, I don't know, been more obvious about having just a friendly conversation with Graham…I guess we may have seemed a little flirty." Paige countered and frowned.

"In all fairness, Graham did have plans of wooing me back, but he saw, how did he put it….the sparkle in my eyes when I talked about Evan. I guess he knew…"

As if on cue, Graham appeared with Jill and Divya. He carried a paper bag which he handed to Hank.

"I hope you don't mind…I rummaged around your kitchen to find some containers for the lasagna and pie…I know you haven't eaten yet, and actually, neither has Paige."

Hank thanked Graham and realized that the funny feeling in his stomach was not all caused by worrying about his brother.

Jill said she'd have someone bring a rolling tray in with paper plates and plastic forks, and left after squeezing Hank's arm in comfort.

Hank and the others ate in silence, once in awhile glancing at the sleeping patient.

"THIS is actually quite good," Divya said.

"It IS!" Paige said enthusiastically. "I LOVE lasagna!"

"It's actually better than what we had at Italiano's, and I thought THAT was perfect." Graham added.

"And this pie…" Jill said, as she licked both sides of her fork. "Oh my gosh…"

Hank smiled, once again glancing at his brother. "Evan is going to be sooo psyched that you all love his cooking," he said, chuckling.

After they had all eaten, Jill and Divya excused themselves while the others settled in their respective chairs. Paige dozed off on Graham's shoulder on one end of the room. Hank settled on a chair next to Evan's bed.


End file.
